Palo Alto To Test Emergency Alert System Next Week

PALO ALTO, CA — Palo Alto plans to conduct an inaugural test of the city's emergency alert system this month, which officials plan to repeat annually in the years to come. The test will utilize AlertSCC and send a message to enrolled residents at noon on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.

"The test of the system seeks to ensure residents who have registered are receiving the emergency notifications as defined through their account settings," the city wrote Monday. "The test also seeks to build community awareness of the city's emergency alert system, as only one-third of Palo Alto residents are currently registered to receive emergency notifications."

Encouraging more residents to sign up for AlertSCC, city officials pointed to its use last year to warn people of flooding on New Year's Eve, allowing alerts to be shared directly with people in potential flood zones.

Residents can sign up to receive AlertSCC notifications on their cell phones, landlines and e-mail addresses, and can indicate how they wish to be notified. Other local options that can be useful during an emergency include:

• Police Department Nixle alerts: https://local.nixle.com/palo-alto-police-department/
• City of Palo Alto official website at www.cityofpaloalto.org
• City of Palo Alto Uplift Local digital newsletter, sign-up at www.cityofpaloalto.org/upliftlocalnews
• City of Palo Alto social media channels, including Nextdoor, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Follow the City on these platforms at www.cityofpaloalto.org/connect

• Real-time storm related community impacts at www.cityofpaloalto.org/stormupdate
• Palo Alto Emergency Public Information Recorded Line at (650) 329-2420.

Next week's test alerts will display a message that it is a test, and residents are asked to avoid calling 911 or dispatch. Residents can check their account preferences online. City officials plan to conduct similar tests of the emergency alert system each December.